Australian News

In short:

ASIO has foiled plots by hostile foreign nations to assassinate or harm critics in Australia.

The spy agency's boss also expressed fears in his annual threat assessment that antisemitic attacks had not yet "plateaued".

What's next?

Diplomatic offices are being warned not to meddle in the coming federal election.

For the first time, the ASIO boss has also declassified parts of his organisation's most recent "futures assessment" that outlines threats out to 2030, and that he describes as "an uncomfortable assessment".

See also:

• The Conversation: ASIO boss expects more communal violence in worsening security environment in Australia

This story is getting talked about a lot in Perth this week. A well respected doctor: a week ago was going through a rough patch because he was sad his marriage had broken down. Otherwise had a pretty good life.

Now, through his own stupidity is likely to spend the next several years behind bars. Nobody has any sympathy for him - his high-flying career is likely a thing of the past.

Not that people should need reinforcement on the effects of impaired driving, but yeah - don't do that thing.

Worth mentioning: A young woman a week ago also had a pretty good life going on. Now, she is dead. 😞

Fuck, dude has so.e balls. Much as I think Russias actions are completely repugnant, I'm not that brave.

So I had a stickybeak at their questions and holy shit they're so bad. Such naked propaganda and also hilariously wrong.

If minorities sat by and patiently explained their needs to the majority we'd be fucked hahahahahaha.

Also apparently the gov does aid because their weird lizard people in Parliament's hearts bleed rivers of gold at the suffering of the people they constantly stir racism up against.

Lets be real though, propaganda aside it's actually disasterous that people are failing to understand how power is wielded in Australia. If the overwhelming arm of USA propaganda replaces an understanding of how our government works with how theirs doesn't we will perform into being a broken 2 party system nobody trusts.

Say what you will about Parliament (and indeed I will rant till your fucking ears bleed if you let me) but we have the benefit of an extremely robust and effective civil service which does a lot of unnoticed good. It's far from perfect but we need a citizenry that understands how things work and why if essential crap is to remain unmolested by creepy potato shaped facists and their ilk. People need to know how to engage with power, where to put the screws to, who controls what and what legal options there are for wielding influence.

The government was informed of a glitch that caused more than a thousand people to be cut off from welfare payments but ignored it for more than three years because halting it would harm private providers.

The fuck is this :(

"When your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand you will die the most disgusting death," she says, before adding that she won't treat Israelis.

"I won't treat them, I will kill them," she says.

The man then tells Mr Veifer he sends Israelis to Jahannam as he makes a threatening gesture.

"You have no idea how many Israeli dog[s] came to this hospital and I send them to Jahannam," he says.

In short:

Banks will be told not to count HECS-HELP and other student loans in debt calculations for home loans, and to disregard HELP repayments from serviceability assessments.

APRA will also update lending rules for housing developers to clarify that a block of units does not need to be fully sold off the plan to qualify for a loan.

What's next?

The Coalition is mulling its own move on lending requirements, with a proposal soon to come before shadow cabinet.

In short:

A microchip registry company used by vets and shelters around Australia has stopped operations, with a warning its website might go offline.

The identification data of tens of thousands of pets will no longer work if not transferred to another provider.

What's next?

A vet and cat shelter are urging owners of pets registered with HomeSafeID to transfer to another provider.

https://archive.md/afXxG

In short:

A fire at a factory in St Marys has been upgraded to the highest available alarm.

More than 150 firefighters are containing the blaze in Western Sydney, with the fireground still active.

Two firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion, with nearby residents being evacuated from the area.

The fire, located at the Cleanaway Chemical Waste Recycling Facility in St Marys, is currently contained.

"We've got large quantities of chemicals and gas cylinders that are engulfed in fire and detonating with explosive force.

From February 1, packs sold in supermarkets and places other than pharmacies will reduce from a maximum 20 tablets to 16 tablets per pack.
[...]
In all jurisdictions except Queensland and Western Australia, packs sold in pharmacies larger than 50 tablets will move behind the pharmacy counter and can only be sold under pharmacist supervision. In Queensland and WA, products containing more than 16 tablets will only be available from behind the pharmacy counter and sold under pharmacist supervision.

In all jurisdictions, any packs containing more than 50 tablets will need to be sold in blister packs, rather than bottles.

Several paracetamol products are not affected by these changes. These include children’s products, slow-release formulations (for example, “osteo” products), and products already behind the pharmacy counter or only available via prescription.

These changes have been introduced to reduce the risk of poisonings from people exceeding recommended doses. The overall safety profile of paracetamol has not changed.

Paracetamol is still available from all current locations and there are no plans to make it prescription-only or remove it from supermarkets altogether.

The BOM's Dean Narramore says as the 11am high tide passes, those near swollen waterways should expect a "surge" of up to 30cm.

He's also warned the weather system may bring potentially damaging winds with gusts of up to 90kmh from this afternoon - enough to bring down trees and powerlines, particularly given the wet ground.

The misfired message starts: “Seriously!

“I wonder if any of them realise that they are a doctor and that this is what happens. Oh that’s right … I forgot. Life style [sic] before career,” the message continued.

“God help us in the future. We are going to have a workforce of clinical marshmellows!”

In short:

Two members of the National Socialist Network have been granted bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court.

The men were among the 16 people arrested on Sunday after a neo-Nazi gathering in the Adelaide CBD.

What's next?

A supporter speaking outside of court was arrested shortly after telling the media he believed the men would "beat the charges".

In short:

Rivers clothing and footwear will close 136 of its stores by mid-April.

About 650 people will lose their jobs, as the collapse of Mosaic Group continues.

What's next?

Fashion experts say while the news is troubling, there could still be some hope for the two remaining brands under Mosaic Group's umbrella if the right steps are taken.

The brand's 45-year history collapsed on Thursday, becoming the latest domino to fall in Australian fashion empire Mosaic Group's portfolio after it went into administration in October last year.

The group collapsed owing creditors $249 million.

Rivers is the seventh brand to be axed as KPMG and FTI Consulting review the business.

In a statement, KPMG's David Hardy said they had been unable to sell Rivers as planned.

"This means the receivers have made the difficult decision to wind down this iconic Australian brand," he said.

In short:

A man behind one of the fires in Sydney's east told police he committed the offence after threats were made to his family related to owed money.

The revelation supports an emerging police theory about criminal organisation links to the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks.

So far, nine people have been charged by NSW Police with 59 offences under Strike Force Pearl.

Wesfarmers plans to shutter online marketplace Catch [formerly Catch of the Day], putting around 190 jobs on the line after recording significant operating losses.

He was ready to go front line, no armour, no weapon, and just there to kill Russians and keep Ukrainians safe," he told the ABC in December.

Brave man than I.

Coles will no longer sell kitchen knives after an employee was allegedly stabbed by a 13-year-old boy in Queensland on Monday.

Claudia Campomayor Watt, 63, remains in a critical but stable condition after she was attacked while working at Coles in the Yamanto Central Shopping Centre in Ipswich, west of Brisbane.

In a statement, a Coles spokesperson said the company would withdraw kitchen knives from stores nationwide.

"Coles complies with all legislation regarding the sale of kitchen knives, and this withdrawal is being taken out of an abundance of caution as we conduct a review," the statement said.